Information overload: IE6 reaches its expiration date

I remember all the good times we had together. You were there during Hamster Dance, Friendster and the Star Wars Kid. We laughed together at the Pancake Rabbit and the O RLY Owl. Together, we read about the demise of Napster. But now it is time to move on. I don't feel secure with you anymore, your technology is outdated and you don't even support HTML5! So long Internet Explorer 6, it was nice while it lasted.

IE6 was first introduced by Microsoft in 2001. When it was first released, the browser was lauded for its security. However, as time has passed, IE6 is no longer the secure browser it once was. For that reason Microsoft is urging people using IE6 to upgrade.

A marketing campaign aimed at IE6 users in Australia asks, "You wouldn't drink nine-year-old milk, so why use a nine-year-old browser?" The Australian website created by Microsoft has a link for users to upgrade to Internet Explorer 8. According to the information posted on the website, IE8 is designed to cope with today's modern cyber crime.

Many agree that it's time for people to ditch IE6. The website, IE6 Funeral, was created by the Aten Design Group in an effort to put an end to the usage of the outdated browser. Microsoft didn't show up for the funeral, but they did send flowers.

IE6 is also a thorn in the side of many web developers, who must work to support a large amount of browsers. The outdated features of IE6 do not make things easy. In fact, many websites no longer support IE6 (including our VictoriaAdvocate.com site).

So if you still are using IE6, it's time to upgrade now. It's hard to leave something you are familiar with, but your online security should come first.

In addition to the newer versions of Internet Explorer, 7 and 8, with 9 in development, you have options from companies other than Microsoft. Other browsers to consider are Opera, Safari, Firefox and Chrome.

CJ Castillo is the interactivity editor for the Victoria Advocate. You can follow her on Twitter (@cjcastillo) or contact at cjcastillo@vicad.com. Please send all correspondence c/o Victoria Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.